Here is an interesting article about a murderous killer whale, (not a oxymoron). This particular animal has killed two humans, not for food, but IMO because of being a captive. So, I guess it's justifiable homicide, which I don't mind, but I'm sure that if the whale were a human some on the list would still say "murder is murder."
Anyway, the point is, going back to an earlier discussion of whether or not animals should/can be judged in their behavior by analogy with human behavior. If, as some have suggested, that is appropriate then you have the difficulty of thinking of "bad" behavior on the part of animals. As in predators being serial killers, that sort of thing.
Now I know the immediate response is "they have no choice," but then how do we know human killers really have a "choice." Maybe they are hard-wired to be killers in the same way killer whales are hard-wired to be killers. Birds gotta fly, etc.
Just something to get the list going. I know it's summer, but someone out there besides me must be working these days.
Steven J. Bissell
http://www.du.edu/~sbissell
http://www.responsivemanagement.com
A journey to our primal world may bring answers
to our ecological dilemmas. Such a journey will lead,
not to an impulsive or thoughtless way of life,
but to a reciprocity with origins declared by history
to be out of reach.
Paul Shepard
